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Platanthera bifolia. Platanthère à deux feuilles. Lesser butterfly orchid. Almost as widespread as Planthera chlorantha, this orchid can be found from sea level (but not from Brittany to Pas de Calais) up to 2000 meters. It grows in open meadows and in shaded areas from the end of April to July for high altitude locations. In metropolitan France, we also find Platanthera chlorantha. Differentiating the two is not easy from a morphological point of view: from 20 to 60 cm, the same shades and similar leaves. It will therefore be necessary to approach it closely and observe the inside of the flower. The anthers are distant and trapezoidal in shape for chlorantha and tight and parallel for bifolia. The first views of these two species will therefore illustrate this point. Click on the photos to enlarge

Ophrys insectifera. Ophrys mouche. Fly orchid Ophrys of Western Europe mainly, the Ophrys insectifera although quite widespread in France will escape quick glances. The flowers are few in number, small and elongated on stems of 15 to 60 cm. Little colored apart from a more or less bright gray band on the labellum. This orchid flowers between mid-April and the end of June up to 1500 meters. As with almost all Ophrys, the shape of the labellum will present varied forms: more or less wide or cut. If we clearly distinguish the 3 green sepals at the back, the two lateral sepals are reduced to the state of thin "antennas" more or less short of the same color as the labellum. A subspecies endemic to Aveyron (Ophrys aymoninii) has a yellow margin. Click on the photos to enlarge

Serapias lingua. Serapias en langue. Tongue orchid. Serapias cannot be confused with any other species of orchid. Identifying them from each other will sometimes be more complex because it is normally necessary to explore their interior. Most species (the most common) are fortunately easily identifiable from their morphological appearance. Doubt will remain when certain species coexist and hybrids may appear. Essentially Mediterranean, some species are found in the southwest quarter and go up to Vendée. Sporadic appearances are observed elsewhere and notably in the Paris region, but the development remains random and these are rarely viable populations due to the lack of pollinating insects. Nevertheless, serapias develop several tubers and can thus, when conditions are favorable, multiply vegetatively, thus constituting small colonies without having been pollinated. Depending on the region, flowering will take place from April to June. Serapias lingua is a species widespread south of a diagonal that goes from Brittany to Nice. Its presence does not of course stop at the French borders. Few flowers on each foot, a dark pink glabrous labellum and a remarkable dark callus. Size from 10 to 30 cm. Click on the photos to enlarge

Ophrys sphegodes/aranifera. Ophrys araignée. Early spider orchid An orchid that is not very visible like most Ophrys whose flowers are not very colorful. Measuring between 10 and 40 cm and growing on calcareous soils: wastelands, verges. The design on the labellum is very variable and the normally green sepals and petals can be slightly colored yellow or pink. The labellum is rather elongated and the appendage is barely visible because it is curved backwards. The basal field is concolorous to the labellum but often lighter. The macular pattern is H-shaped, more or less blended into the entire macule. This H is sometimes very clearly edged with white. The pseudo-eyes are quite large and bright. There is a thin yellow margin around the labellum but often barely visible because of its convexity. Gibbosities are sometimes visible but not very marked and not at all or weakly pointed. It is found in many French departments but mainly in the west of the country and not at high altitudes. Other close species take its place in other departments where it would be rarer. One can legitimately wonder if so many species are not duplicates, the differences are sometimes subtle especially if we consider that the variations exist elsewhere within a population of the same station. All these species were named at a time when communication between scientists was not as developed and it seems difficult even today to find a consensus. At the same time as the author writes this, he is pilloried by a certain number of regional observers who could read these lines and who will refuse to admit that their local "species" does not have its identity or is just a synonym. Its name is still debated and we seem to agree on Ophrys sphegodes but we will find many documents or works with Ophrys aranifera. It is a relatively early orchid and can be observed between March and May. Click on the photos to enlarge

Traunsteinera globosa. Orchis globuleux. Globe orchid. This orchid has a marked preference for altitude! It can be found from 1000 m in the Alps and sometimes the Massif Central. Its distribution is European but covers the Alpine massif only. Unique in its genus in France, a second species is found in Turkey. A fairly tall plant (between 20 and 50 cm), it grows in meadows and will blend in from afar with other flowers with a large abundance and similar silhouette (the knautia in particular) and may therefore not be recognized even by an experienced orchidophile. Same general appearance, same height, same color, so you will have to be careful. The leaves have the same shade as the stem and are more or less sheathing, so sometimes not very visible in dense vegetation. The "ball" inflorescence with a high density of flowers deserves to be observed closely in order to admire their complexity. Click on the photos to enlarge

Himantoglossum hircinum. Orchis bouc. Lizard orchid. The orchid is common in almost all departments and flowers between May and June. A little earlier sometimes in some years. It is generally a large, robust orchid that likes calcareous soils and is often found on slopes. It gets its name from a sometimes musky odor, but often the scent is light or absent. The English more accurately call it "lizard orchid" because of its very characteristic oversized and sometimes twisted labellum. Click on the photos to enlarge

Cephalanthera damasonium. Cephalanthère à grandes fleurs. Large white helleborine. Cephalanthera are generally light undergrowth orchids. The flowers open little. To distinguish the 3 species, it is quite simple: the red cephalanthera has pink flowers, the long-leaved cephalanthera has leaves that start from the base of the plant and form upright swords, the large-flowered cephalanthera has rounder leaves on the entire stem. You should not always trust the colors of vernacular and even Latin names. The white helleborine has more yellow flowers than the longifolia helleborine and the red helleborine ( rubra ) has pink flowers... As for the size, I found many longifolia helleborines larger than the white helleborines (Large white helleborine in English). It is therefore essentially on the shape of the leaves that we will distinguish Cephalanthera damasonium presented here from Cephalanthera longifolia . Click on the photos to enlarge

Ophrys arachnitiformis. Ophrys en forme d'araignée. False spider orchid. Ophrys arachnitiformis is one of the species that is not always easy to identify, especially since the authors of guides (as well as many pseudo-specialists) do not always have the same definition, consider that the geographical distribution differs, or do not present similar illustrations. It must be considered as a subspecies of Ophrys sphegodes from the Mediterranean rim with a rather early flowering. The sepals and petals are white to pink with a medium-sized labellum. As sometimes, everything is a matter of conviction but not always of convincing scientific elements, we must therefore remain cautious and for my part, I deliver this description and these views with all reserve in the hope of a finally settled debate and a precise diagnosis for the future. Click on the photos to enlarge

Ophrys bombyliflora. Ophrys bombyx. Bumble bee orchid Small Ophrys in terms of the size of the plant and flowers. Mediterranean distribution and quite rare presence in continental France. It is more easily found in Corsica. Easily recognizable with its rounded appearance and its sepals appearing very large compared to the labellum. Click on the photos to enlarge

Cephalanthera rubra. Cephalanthère rouge. Red helleborine. Cephalantheres are generally light undergrowth orchids. The flowers open little except for the Rubra species presented here. It is described as red but is clearly closer to pink. Click on the photos to enlarge

Ophrys lutea. Ophrys jaune. Yellow bee orchid Ophrys from the Mediterranean region, this Ophrys poses few identification problems due to its labellum largely edged with yellow. Petals and sepals are also a pronounced yellow, washed with green most often. In addition, it offers little variability. It is found in the south and southwest of France (1 subspecies in Corsica) on fairly dry land: wasteland, scrubland mainly. Measuring from 15 to 30 cm, the stem bears a few flowers which bloom from the end of March to the beginning of June depending on the region. Click on the photos to enlarge

Orchis militaris. Orchis militaire. Military orchid. The military orchid is part of the genus Orchis, largely amputated from many species now classified in the genera Anacamptis or Dactylorhiza. In each genus, one species is the lectotype (in synthesis, the most representative species) and the Orchis militaire represents the genus Orchis. Orchis are tuberous orchids, usually having two which gave them their Greek name Orchis which means testicle. One of the tubers allows the growth of the plant while the second forms during this same period and will replace the original tuber gradually withered the following year. If we were to dig up an orchid (which I of course prohibit), we would therefore find the tuber of the year more or less withered, the tuber in the making for the future season and sometimes an old one totally withered from the previous year. Orchids are fairly tall plants (20 to 60 cm), rather robust and easily spotted in meadows, wastelands or light undergrowth. The preferred soils are generally calcareous or marly and rather dry. The sepals and lateral petals are united to form a "helmet" while the central petal (labellum) offers a fairly complex shape that varies from one species to another. Three Orchis are quite close morphologically and "coloristically": Orchis militaris (Military Orchis), Orchis purpurea (Purple Orchis) and Orchis simia (Monkey Orchis). Hybridizations are therefore possible that will not allow a certain identification. The military orchid is rather pink with a narrow labellum in its central part itself provided with small tufts of hair. Present in many departments (except Brittany and Massif Central due to unsuitable soil), it flowers between the end of April and the end of June depending on the region and altitude. Click on the photos to enlarge